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Josh Jacobs 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook: Low-End RB1 With New Team
4 months agoGreen Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (hamstring) will enter 2024 as the team's starting running back after signing a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay during the offseason. He is dealing with a hamstring issue but is expected to return to the field soon. With Aaron Jones leaving for Minnesota, Jacobs will step into a huge role to prove he is still elite. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will deploy him in various ways in both the running and passing games. Do not let yourself be entranced by Jacobs' 2022 season, in which he was the fantasy football darling. Players often have one-off magical fantasy seasons that can never be followed up similarly. Jacobs' history as a relatively inefficient runner before 2022 was on full display in 2023 when he averaged 3.5 yards per carry. The 26-year-old rushed for 805 yards on 233 rushing attempts and six touchdowns while catching 37 passes for 296 yards over 13 games for the Raiders last year. Jacobs missed the last six games due to a quad injury. His 2023 season can be attributed to the fact that he did not participate in any offseason programming and showed up out of playing shape. The Packers did bring back AJ Dillon (neck) and drafted USC running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, Dillon was placed on season ending injured reserve and Lloyd is likely to miss a couple of games. As a result, Jacobs could have a fast start in fantasy. Expect Jacobs to lead Green Bay's backfield and be a low-end RB1 to high-end RB2 as he has been for most of his career, which is reflected by his current ADP as RB12. RotoBaller is a little higher on Jacobs and has him ranked the eighth-best running back heading into 2024 fantasy football drafts.
